The Beach
by JHLZ.NTL
Summary: The Gaang Kids are sent to Ember Island during the Yakone Trial. Featuring young Bumi, Izumi, Kya, Tenzin, Lin, Suyin, some arrogant Fire Nation Teens and not so young Lo and Li.


**We know you are upset to be forced to come here this weekend. But Ember island is a magical place. Keep an open mind. Give it a chance and it can help you understand yourself and each other. The beach has a special way of smoothing even the roughest edges.**

* * *

"This is so exciting! I just love the ocean breeze already. The Republic City is so big and so dense, it feels like the bay is a thousand leagues away!" nine-year-old Suyin exclaimed jumping up and down, running the length of the deck of their ship at least a thousand times before arriving on Ember Island.

"If you like the breeze, you'll LOVE my parents summer home. It's built on stilts, over the water, so you can hear the surf crashing against the rocks while you sleep. It's very relaxing!" Izumi said to young Suyin. Suyin looked up with eyes wide with anticipation.

"Ugh, she's so annoying!" fifteen-year-old Lin groaned, leaning against the rail. Sixteen-year-old Tenzin stood beside her with an arm around her waist and both hands on the rail.

"Hey, at least there is only one of her. I have to deal with Kya AND Bumi twenty four hours a day," Tenzin replied.

"Oh no! What a nightmare!" Lin rolled her eyes. "At least you can blow them away with your airbending. Su is just as stubborn as me, and she's progressing way too fast in earth and metalbending."

"Are you jealous?"

"No. She may be tiny and fast, but her bending still isn't controlled. She's a wild child. Ma hates poor discipline, then again, she never takes the time to teach us anything so she really can't get mad at us, but she does anyways. Just yells at us for nothing really," Lin sighed leaning on Tenzin's shoulder.

"Hey lovebirds! We have arrived! Time to get un-stuck from each other's shirts!" Bumi said throwing his arms around Lin and Tenzin walking them towards the gangway as Lin shot him a death glare.

"Stop calling us that!" Lin and Tenzin yelled in unison while Kya and Bumi roared with laughter.

"Can't you guys just try to enjoy yourselves while we are here?" Izumi asked with a heavy sigh. "Think of it as a vacation."

"Oh yeah, because it is so easy to enjoy ourselves while our parents are busy dealing with a guy who might just be the most powerful bad guy the four nations have ever seen since your granddaddy!" Lin replied.

Izumi frowned. "Not funny, Lin."

"Whatever," Lin brushed her off and walked past the Princess down the gangway of the ship and onto the modest wooden dock of the quaint little island.

"Welcome to Ember Island Kids!" Lo and Li exclaimed, greeting them on their docks, wearing matching red and pink old-lady dresses with big straw hats on their heads to keep the sun off of their old leathery bodies. "We know most of you are upset to be forced to come here this weekend."

"But Ember island is a magical place."

"Keep an open mind."

"Give it a chance and it can help you understand yourself and each other."

"The beach has a special way of smoothing even the roughest edges."

Izumi yawned. Kya and Bumi each raised an eyebrow and glanced at each other.

Suyin clasped her hands together and looked up at Izumi with excitement. "When do we get to go to the beach and make sand sculptures? I have been wanting to practice my sandbending!"

"As soon as we drop our belongings at the house, we can go to the beach, Okay?" Izumi promised the little earthbender.

"Yay!"

Meanwhile Bumi, most likely on a dare from Kya approached the two elderly women with a gaudy sway to his hips and a strange expression in his face. Lin covered Tenzin's eyes and squeezed her own shut, but unfortunately, when blinded, her seismic sense kicked in and she couldn't avoid seeing the horror unfold. Bumi reached for each of their hands and kissed them. "Nice to see you two ladies again! Always a pleasure to be around fellow non-benders!" Bumi exclaimed.

"Nice to see you too, Bumi of Republic City!" Li replied with a toothless, old lady smile while Kya snickered.

"The pleasure is ours," Lo added giving him an identical toothless smile as her sister.

* * *

They were staying for at least a week depending on how quickly the courts of Republic City could reach a verdict on the accused bloodbender and gang leader, Yakone. Air Acolytes from Republic City as well as royal guards from the Fire Nation helped the children of heroes with their bags as they made their way to Izumi's family vacation house. The main doors opened up into a grand reception room with vaulted ceilings and large pillars with cast iron grated cylinders at the bottom that could be lit to give the illusion the interior was burning while keeping the house safe.

Beyond the main room was a courtyard with the kitchen and dining room on one side, and the resident's quarters on the other side with the servant's quarters in the back.

"We will see you when the trial is over," a guard said to Izumi before bowing and taking his leave with the remainder of the guards and the air acolytes.

"They're not going to stay with us for protection?" Kya asked emerging from a room she was going to share with Izumi.

"Their protection is not needed here. Only the rich and noble can even afford to come. Everyone on this island is so busy assuming he or she is the most important person in the world, that they don't have time to pay attention to anyone else," Izumi replied. "Don't you remember anything from last time?"

"Tenten was barely walking last time we came!" Bumi explained.

"And even then, he didn't look at anything other than baby Linny!" Kya added never missing an opportunity to tease the young lovebirds.

"UGH!" Lin stomped her foot launching Kya through the roof and into the ocean. Kya bent a water spout to catch her and save herself against the rocky cliffs then deposit her back onto the balcony of the bedroom. She dried herself effortlessly with her waterbending, still cackling madly.

"In that case... *gasps*... since we're safe...*laughs*... shall we go to the beach?" Kya asked propping herself against her older brother for support while struggling to catch her breath.

"Come on, Tenzin. We don't need them," Lin growled snatching up Tenzin's wrist, trying to lead him away when Suyin called her.

"But we need you, Lin! Mom said we have to stick together, so you _have_ to come to the beach!" Suyin reminded her big sister.

Lin took a deep breath and resigned. "Fine! Just tell us when you're leaving."

* * *

After a small snack, the six children headed to the beach. Lin and Tenzin were practically inseparable. They sat together on a blanket under an umbrella, Lin with one foot off the blanket and buried in the shifty earth, watching as Kya and Bumi ran back and forth from the water to the site of their respective grand build projects. Menwhile Izumi worked on digging a moat around Kya's castle while Suyin practiced sandbending.

"Hey guys, Check out our giant fleet of animals!" Bumi yelled shoving a piece of drifwood into the head of a giant sand Appa. Beside Appa, Kya put the finishing touches on Zuko's dragon, Druk, and beside the dragon was a giant, non-descript badgermole, and then a giant elephant koi fish all crafted with incredible detail.

"Not bad, Bumi! My turn! Check this out!" Suyin exclaimed spreading her feet and bending her knees, wrapping her feet in sand. She lined up in front of a flattened space and furrowed her brows with great effort and concentration. She took a deep breath and balled her hands into fists and bent her elbows close to her body, then with one great motion, she stomped her left foot and pushed both hands straight up and erected life-size versions of the six of them down to the last wrinkle in their clothes, and strand of loose hair.

"Woah! Nice job little Suyi! You even remembered my singed off eyebrow!" Bumi exclaimed running up to it as Suyin folded her arms with a smug little grin on her face.

"Of course! You didn't shut up about it for a month!" Suyin replied leaning on one hip.

"Now, now, what did Aunt Katara tell you about using bad words?" Izumi said to Suyin.

"Shut up isn't a bad word. It is two normal words that when put together are bad to some people. You should hear my Mom when she comes home from work. THOSE are bad words!" Suyin replied.

"Lin, are you going to make a sand sculpture or are you just going to sit there being all dull and grim for the rest of the afternoon?" Kya asked.

Lin stood up and cracked her knuckles and head and slid both feet and hands out and flipped her palms up effortlessly erecting a tiny Republic City in the sand, complete with miniature citizens and police officers in middle of confrontations with criminals and kids in the school yard on break and lovers on the patios of restaurants breaking bread and drinking tea.

"Wow! There is even a tiny Mom and Dad and Appa on Air Temple Island!" Tenzin exclaimed leaning over to see, almost falling over.

"Where did you put us?" Kya asked running over with Bumi.

This time Lin folded her arms and smirked at her little sister.

"Bumi is at the Cactus Juice Imporium, and Kya, you are underage so you're outside the Cactus Juice Imporium waiting for Bumi to 'get the goods'," Lin replied.

The two roared with laughter.

"Where are the rest of us?" Tenzin asked.

"You're on the East side of Air Temple Island in the caves waiting for me to finish work. Suyin is _supposed_ to be at school but already started tunneling out of the playground. Izumi is on the front steps of the government building shadowing her father and I'm on the front steps of the police building shadowing my mother." Her tone changed. "I still don't understand how she could even send me away. I am a full fledged cop for spirits' sake! I know the risks that come with it!" she said turning away, destroying her sand city with a flick of her hand.

"Cop or not, you're still the Chief's daughter. You and Suyin both are easy targets for anyone who wants to get to the chief," Izumi explained.

Lin blew a tuft of hair out of her face and returned to her towel on the sand.

When Lin looked up again, Suyin was crying and Izumi attempting to comfort the girl.

"She makes sandbending look so easy!" Suyin cried. "She is always showing off!"

Lin rolled her eyes.

"Suyin, listen to me. She is also six years older than you. She is not showing off. It is easy for her. She's just had more time than you to practice. You're young. It will be just as easy when you are fifteen years old!" Izumi told her, tucking her short wavy hair behind her ears. How about this, Bumi!" Izumi called sternly.

"Yes Ma'am, Princess, Ma'am!" Bumi yelled saluting Izumi.

"Take this little one to get an ice cream or something. The rest of us are going to play a game of Kuai Ball to blow off some steam," Izumi said turning to Lin in particular who just rolled her eyes.

"Kya, Tenzin, get over here now! We're playing next," Izumi ordered, with a confidence that resembled her aunt Azula a little too well.

* * *

The current game finished quickly, and they took the place of the losers and stepped onto the court.

"From what I can tell, they're all firebenders."

"So?" Lin asked.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Tenzin asked.

"They all move the exact same way. Lin, you're most comfortable on the ground. You will play front left. All you have to do is get the ball up, and Tenzin or I will send it over. Kya, you play front right when defending. Now we have to rotate to serve. Every time we lose the ball and regain it. Now, do you see the shirtless boy across the way? He injured his left leg earlier diving for the ball and made the rather poor decision to just walk it off. Keep serving to his left but keep the ball out of reach of his sister. If they get onto that strategy and change their start positions, then serve to the middle of the twins. I can tell already that they think the exact same way all the time. If you spike the ball right in the middle of them, they'll be stunned and neither will move towards not wanting to hit each other. Dismissed!" Izumi told all off them. Bumi returned with pineapple whipped ice cream for himself and Suyin just as the four broke out of their huddle and took their starting positions.

"Woo hoo! Go team Republic City!" Bumi yelled with his fist in the air and Suyin on his knee.

"Yeah, wooooo!" Suyin screamed nearly spilling her ice cream off her cone.

The Defending team served first. Lin dove for it and Tenzin jumped up behind her to kick it as she slid backwards across the court (with a little illegal sandbending, but no one noticed), behind him and rolled onto her feet again. Tenzin returned the ball, aiming to the left of the injured teenager just as Izumi instructed. The injured teenager missed, and his sister was too slow to save it.

"One-zero, yours, colony folk," the defending team said tossing the ball over the net. Izumi served, throwing the ball straight up then jumping and doing a flip kick aiming this time right between the twins. The twins froze uncertain who should get it and ended up losing another point. The next serve, Kya gave it to the defending team so they could have at least one decent volley before the slaughter. She served to a space between the injured boy's sister, and one of the twins. The twin returned the ball to Tenzin who lifted it for Izumi to return it to the other side. The injured boy lifted the ball and his sister kicked, then Lin lifted and Kya hit with a back hand. They had one really nice and intense long volley that ended with Izumi not obviously, but purposefully missing the ball to give the other team a point. When no one was noticing, Kya bent the sweat off of herself and her team mates and they played. Rarely did they ever get to play past the serve, and never once after the give away, did they lose a point. It was a quick game with Team Republic City winning 10-1.

"Yay, Linny's smiling!" Suyin exclaimed clapping her hands.

"That was fun," Lin explained.

"You have ice cream all over your face, do you know that?" Kya asked Su. She shook her head. Kya waterbent the ice cream off the child's face and tossed it into the sand before they began walking back to their picnic set up. After the game of Kuai ball, Kya surfed on a board of ice and raced Izumi who stood on a regular surf board but used firebending to go faster. Eventually they convinced Tenzin to join them in a race leaving Lin, Su, and Bumi on the ground.

* * *

"Hey Linny," Bumi said sliding across the sand to take a place beside Lin in the shade of her umbrella while they watched Su's attempts at sandbending.

"I told you never to call me that," Lin growled.

"I know what will cheer you up!" Bumi said jumping up.

"What?" she asked dully.

"A good old fashion sparring match!" Bumi said taking a boxing stance and throwing some half-ass punches. "I found a private beach with Su over there when we went to find ice cream so no one will see you earthbending."

"Bumi. Bending or no bending, I will still destroy you," Lin said bluntly.

"I dunno, Linny! I am named after the strongest earthbender and maddest genius in history!" Bumi replied wiggling his eyebrows.

Lin was still not impressed "Well, I have the genetics of the greatest earthbender in history so,..."

"Come on, Linny! Please? Just one round?"

"Fine."

"Hey guys! We're going sparring!" Bumi called to the surfers before they scaled the cliff with little Su following.

"Uh oh!" Kya said.

"Why uh oh?" Izumi asked.

"Last time Bumi sparred Lin, he had to spend a week in the hospital recovering," Kya replied.

"Bumi. Is. An. Idiot," Izumi said running past them.

"Go Bumi!" Suyin cheered. Lin raised three boulders and a dozen medium sized rocks as Bumi lifted a sword. Bumi managed to slice through some of the bigger rocks and dodge some of the smaller ones, dancing back and forth while Lin pelted him.

"Be careful!" Kya yelled staying on top of the cliff to keep watch in case anyone came.

"Yes, mom!" Lin replied kicking all of the rocks at Bumi catching him in the gut with one of them making him fall on his back. She stood up and relaxed her arms as Tenzin and Kya rushed over to check on their brother while Izumi took watch on the cliff that separated the private beach from the main one. Kya took ocean water and healed Bumi's debilitating bruises.

"Are you okay?" Kya asked Bumi.

"I'm fine! Don't get mad at Linny! I begged her to spar with me. I know she likes to chuck rocks at things, especially living things. Besides, there's always something to learn from every defeat."

"How about, not to challenge Lin Beifong to a sparring match?" Kya asked. "I always end up having to heal you!"

"Eh. Gives you reason to practice, and makes Lin happy."

"Someone's coming! Stop bending!" Izumi yelled from the cliffside, sliding down grabbing Lin's hand and then Su's and running over to help Bumi get up.

"Wait don't run!" the boy and girl from the Kuai court and their friends, the twins called.

Izumi stopped and turned with Lin and Su on either side of her.

"We were just wondering if you two wanted to come to a party this evening. My parents are out of town and some of the most important teens in the Fire Nation and the former colonies are going to be there," the boy said to Izumi and Lin. Lin cocked her head to the side and raised an eyebrow and looked over at Izumi.

"Wait! What about me and my brothers?" Kya asked appearing between Lin and Izumi.

"What about you?" The teenage boy asked shrugging.

"You really don't know who we are?" Kya asked surprised.

"You really don't know who we are?" the boy asked.

"We're the Tao siblings," his sister said folding her arms.

"The children of Governer Wenjing Tao of the Mengzhi Province," the boy replied mocking Kya's posture.

"But I guess you three can come too. There's enough food and room," one of the twins said impatiently.

"Just cover up that bald guy's head. It makes him look like an old man," the other twin added.

"Hey! That bald guy is my boyfriend and if you want me at your party then he comes as-is!" Lin yelled defensively, her brilliant green eyes narrowing dangerously.

The boy stroked his chin with a smirk.

"Lin, it's alright!" Tenzin called putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Fine," The twin scoffed.

"We'll see you ladies at dusk."

"What about me?" Suyin asked.

"Sorry kid, it's for teenagers only." the Tao boy asked

"Aw!" Suyin sniffled.

"Don't worry, Su. It will give you time to practice your sand bending!" Izumi whispered in Su's ear as the teenagers walked away. "Lo and Li are great bending teachers. They taught me everything I know even though they are not benders themselves. And we won't be there to distract or interrupt you!" Izumi said comforting the little Beifong.

Lin just rolled her eyes and folded her arms.

* * *

Getting ready took a lot longer than expected since three times, Izumi changed her mind about having everyone wear Fire Nation clothes as a disguise or wearing their regular clothes to the party.

"You're the one who said they're too busy thinking they are the most important people in the world to notice others," Kya groaned with frustration.

"Yeah, but just to air on the side of caution, we should wear Fire Nation clothes," Izumi decided finally. She turned to Lin and Kya after seeing no protest, she went into the other room to tell Tenzin and Bumi. "Fire Nation clothes."

"Awww!" Tenzin groaned.

"Yes!" Bumi yelled as Tenzin handed over a gold piece.

Izumi cocked her head and lifted an eyebrow. "You guys bet on it?"

"You know it, Zumi!" Bumi replied touching her chin with his finger before going to finish getting dressed. Izumi rolled her eyes and went back to the girls' room.

"Lin, your bindings are green."

"I don't have red bindings and it's not like I am going to take off anything once at the party," Lin replied continuing to wrap herself in her green bindings.

"How do I look?" Kya asked spinning around. She had on a red crop top with a golden fastener between her breasts that held everything in place, red wide legged pants that came to her ankles, and a deep burgundy skirt with slits up the sides that was trimmed with gold fabric and a golden cord around the hem of her skirts on her hips.

"Beautiful. Just like your mother!" Izumi said with a smile she turned to Lin with minor impatience but made sure not to show it.

"Do you need help with anything?" Izumi asked.

"I'm fine, thank you," Lin replied collecting her hair in a firenation style bun and securing it with a gold ribbon instead of a brown or green one. She put on a red off-the-shoulder halter top, red caprees, and a burgundy skirt that fell in four panels that were pointed at the bottom and short in the front and longer in the back with a golden sash holding it on her hips. She took one of the gold bracelets Izumi let her borrow and memorized its shape before reforming it into the shape of the meteorite bracelet her mother gave her when she was young and put it on the arm with the bare shoulder.

"How do I look?" She asked turning to them.

"Wow!" they heard an intruder say. The girls all turned to see Tenzin and Bumi standing in the doorway.

"You look amazing, Lin!" Tenzin exclaimed.

Lin sighed. "You say that regardless of what I wear!"

"Only because it's true." Tenzin replied kissing her on the cheek.

"Whatever. Come on Twinkle Toes Junior! We've got a party to go to!" Lin said.

"See you later tonight, Kids!" Lo and Li said waving.

"Eat some delicious food for me! We're goin' sand bending!" Suyin waved enthusiastically.

* * *

They made sure to not be the first ones at the party since Fire Lord Zuko warned them about the disastrous time he heeded Azula's advice and showed up at dusk over two hours early.

The five of them were received by the Tao boy whose name turned out to be Keiji. His sister was Shizuki and the twins were Eito and Eiji.

"Are you half Earth Kingdom because your eyes look like the world to me,"Keiji asked Lin flirtatiously while Tenzin went to get food for himself and her.

Lin's arms remained folded as she looked at him with disinterest. "No I'm a full earthbender. I'm just visiting my friend from the Fire Nation. She's nobility and sometimes almost as arrogant as you're being. Why don't you try hitting on her because I already have a boyfriend."

"Baldy over there? He's your boyfriend?" Keiji laughed. "He seems so boring!"

"And I don't?" Lin asked folding her arms irritably, shifting her weight to her back leg, leaning away from the daring Fire Nation boy.

"No, you don't. Surely you deserve better than him. I could show you so... many...new... things..." he said leaning towards her with a grin. Lin turned and walked away, erecting a wall through the wooden floor making a barrier between her and him with a smooth flick of the wrist.

"Hey Tenzin," Lin said appearing beside her beau by the food table.

"Hey! We're have you been? I thought I was going to bring food to you?"

"I did an experiment."

"Oh?"

"I tried to be social for once."

"Did you learn anything?"

"Just how much I hate people,"

"That's not true. You don't hate me, or Izumi."

"That's true," Lin replied leaning her head on his shoulder.

"So what happened?"

"I can't be left alone. Keiji has convinced himself he actually has a chance with me," Lin laughed, but Tenzin didn't. "What's wrong?"

"Well, does he?"

"Tenzin! You are my boyfriend and nothing will change that. The spirit world can go up in flames or freeze over. You will still be my one and only!" Lin replied.

"Alright, I believe you," Tenzin sighed. Lin tiptoed to reach his lips and kissed him then slid her hand into his.

"Don't worry. I'm not like Kya who can be turned on by quite literally any willing girl." Lin winked at him and Tenzin groaned and rolled his eyes. There was a loud thud across the room as Bumi kicked a foot up on a table where a crowd of people had gathered around the private of the United Forces.

"Oh dear," Tenzin sighed covering his face as Lin's own dropped.

"And then the elephant koi nearly stole the love of my life but I managed to grab hold of its whiskers and steer the beast away like an ostrich horse for just enough time for my love to swim back to the shores of Kyoshi Island!" Bumi yelled reenacting his fantasy.

"Woah!" the ladies all swooned over Bumi's tales.

In another corner of the room, Izumi was chatting with some of the boys. She found it amusing how they all bragged about how high their fathers were ranked in the military or the palace trying to impress the lady. Little did they know HER father was the Fire Lord and ruler of them all.

"I don't know why we agreed to come," Lin sighed.

"Me neither. And there are hardly vegetation options!" Tenzin exclaimed.

"Why don't we head down to the beach, just you and me?" Lin asked.

"I'd like that," Tenzin replied.

* * *

They walked along the wet sand with their shoes in hand, feeling the cold water splash against their ankles and feet.

"What do you think about, Lin, when you're not in the middle of something?" Tenzin inquired as he walked with his girlfriend along the beach.

"I don't understand. I am pretty much always doing _something_." Lin replied flatly

"I mean when you lie awake before falling asleep, or when you're waiting in line to get something to eat, or just having a cup of tea..." Tenzin replied.

"Before I fall asleep, I think about what time I have to wake up again or what happened that day. When I am waiting in line for something to eat, I think about just how slow restaurant workers can be, and when I have a cup of tea, it is usually while I am filling out petty paperwork at the station, and I am not really thinking about anything."

"I don't mean literally I just thought- never mind. I don't know what I was thinking."

"You were thinking I would have something superfluous to say."

"Yeah, I guess I was."

"Look, I don't spend hours a day meditating, reflecting on all that has happened and all I want to happen," Lin said candidly. "I just try to survive."

"I don't believe that. You had a plan since you were four for joining the police force and becoming the youngest full fledged cop in Republic City's thirty-four year history."

"But that is easy. All I had to do was become a decent metalbender."

"But what about after that?"

"What do you mean after that? I don't intend on leaving the force for a long time."

"I guess a more accurate question would be once that has been established, what next? Regarding us," Tenzin asked quietly. Lin eyed him questioningly. "...like family-wise."

"Tenzin, I am fifteen years old. I have no interest in starting a family now. Check back in a decade." Lin growled.

"But Lin, we've been together five years."

"But we're still children, I know you're second to last airbender, but that doesn't mean you need to start breeding like a rabbit-hare as soon as you are physically able! We are still human and still have other duties we must fulfill first before even thinking about that kind of thing" Lin yelled at him.

"I just thought- never mind."

"Thought what Tenzin? I still love you, i just would really appreciate it if you stopped pushing this. It is too soon."

"I'm just worried,"

"Do you doubt me that much, Tenzin?" Lin asked letting go of his hand to put both fists on her hips eyeing him angrily.

"No, I just- I'm sorry," Tenzin stuttered.

"I'm sorry too. I'm sorry I won't settle for being your broodmare!" Lin replied angrily storming off, making herself a cave in the cliffside, locking him out with her earth bending.

Tenzin hit himself on the head several times. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" he yelled at himself. Hopelessly wandering to the part of the cliff where Lin buried herself in stone, and sitting, waiting patiently for her to calm down.

* * *

"We thought we'd find you down here," Izumi said with one hand on her hip, appearing before Tenzin, casting an ominous shadow over the moonlight as she stood over him. Tenzin looked up miserably. Izumi was a beautiful eighteen year old Fire Nation girl, a princess, and a mature, polite, and well trained lady. Lin was almost as beautiful, the heiress to the Beifong Fortune, an Earth Kingdom Lady by name, but irritable, stubborn, combative, and angry, yet somehow, Tenzin always found himself drawn to the earthbender despite how challenging she was to deal with.

"You asked Lin about having children again didn't you?" Izumi asked knowingly.

Tenzin didn't respond. He just buried his head between his knees again apologetically.

"Tenzin, you're pathetic," Kya grumbled at her little brother.

"Well sorry for worrying about being one of only two living members of a CRITICALLY ENDANGERED SPECIES!" Tenzin yelled back at her, jumping to his feet.

"You go sit with Bumi. We'll talk to Lin." Kya ordered.

"Where?"

"I made a fire over on our private beach." Izumi replied.

"You won't hurt her, right?" Tenzin asked.

Izumi rolled her eyes. "Tenzin, she's our best friend. Why would we hurt her?" Izumi asked getting in a lightening stance.

"I thought I was her best friend," Tenzin muttered.

"You're her boyfriend. Not her best friend. There's a difference," Kya added getting into a waterbending stance, beckoning the ocean to come to her finger tips.

"Just go Tenten, we'll handle her." Izumi insisted. Tenzin sulked off. They waited until he was a safe distance away.

"Lin, you come out or we're boring in!" Izumi yelled.

No response. Izumi generated blue lightening and hit the cliffside. cracking the rock underneath the heat and pressure in a powerful and frightening display of firebending. She cracked it significantly then stopped and let Kya was away the broken stones with a pointed hose of water, eroding away the rock rapidly. They broke through the cliffside into Lin's little shelter, wearing it down to a centimeter thin, before she punched her wall out, knocking both older girls over, water splashing all over Kya.

"Come on, Lin. Quit your brooding and come over to the fire." Izumi said extending a hand.

"I can walk on my own, thanks." Lin growled yanking her hand away from the Princess. Izumi shrugged and followed. Kya bent the water off of her clothes and threw it back into the ocean and ran to catch up with her friends.

"Are you cold?" Tenzin asked Lin offering her his crimson cape. She bent a stone wall between herself and him on the bench.

"Aww Tenten, did you piss off your little badgermole again?" Bumi asked with a smug grin.

"Shut up, Bumi!" Tenzin growled.

Bumi laughed. "You're both so cute when you're mad at each other."

"I don't even know why you're mad! I didn't ask you to get pregnant now! I just asked if you ever thought about having a family-"

"But you ALWAYS ask about that and I am sick of it. It's like you don't care if I want to be just my own person for a little while longer!" Lin yelled.

"I do care-"

"No! You don't all you care about is your STUPID destiny and restoring the Air Nation!"

"It is not stupid! It is necessary and I just want to make sure I am not wasting my time!" Tenzin replied.

"Oh so I'm a waste of time then if I don't end up wanting kids in the end?!" Lin yelled.

"Here we go," Izumi said leaning back on her hands.

"I'm sorry for wanting to enjoy what little time I have left to even pretend to be a child before settling down and having some of my own!" Lin yelled.

"Pretend to be a child? You spent your entire childhood wanting nothing more than to be an adult already! I thought being an adult included having a family! I thought we aligned. I though you would help me with the legacy I must uphold!"

"At least you have three other siblings to help you with this legacy!" Lin spat back at him.

"They're not airbenders!"

"Thanks for reminding us, Little Bro," Bumi muttered.

"So? I am not an airbender and I have my own legacy to uphold!" Lin yelled turning away from him sweeping sand into his face in her uncontrolled rage.

"There are other earthbenders, Lin-"

"And how many happen to be directly descended from Toph Beifong, the Greatest Earthbender in the World, the founder of metalbending, and world-renown chief of Police of Republic City?"

"There's still Su to carry on Toph's legacy-"

"Heh, yeah, Su!" Lin laughed. She put one and on her hip and one under her chin. "I'm Su! I'm so cute! I'm so pretty! I can do whatever I want whether or not it is legal and just blink my wide eyes when I'm caught misbehaving and walk away free with NO CONSEQUENCES!" Lin kicked up a boulder and punched it into the cliff side. "Yeah! She is the epitome of the legacy that mom always wanted to leave on the world, I am sure! Soon enough she'll be booked in the jails her own mother is tasked with filling!"

"Lin, she's only nine," Izumi reminded Lin. "I am sure we were all like her at some point in our lives."

"Age is no excuse for being a flat out brat. By the age of four, Mother expected me to be disciplined enough to train for at least four hours a day on earthbending, three hours on contortion, acrobatics and chi-blocking, and five hours of weapons training. By the time I was SIX mother expected me to have already mastered metalbending. 'You're lucky to have the greatest earthbender in the world teaching you and you still can't even bend ore!' she told me. Well being the greatest earth bender doesn't inhibit one from being the suckiest teacher!"

"At least you had someone teaching you!" Kya yelled back.

"Why are you talking? You had Katara loving you and offering to teach you everything she knew! Waterbending, healing, even bloodbending- even AFTER she pushed for it to be outlawed. YOU REJECTED HER out of laziness opting to only learn healing like the women of the sexist, backwards Northern Tribe that your southern brothers scorn!" Lin snapped.

"I am sorry I didn't want to be an exact replica of my mother! I am sorry I wanted to make something for myself and not just follow in her exact footsteps!"

"At least you guys are benders! My Dad essentially neglected me since he was too busy teaching your airhead of a boyfriend how to take his place as the last airbender on the planet!"

"AT LEAST YOU HAVE A DAD!" Lin replied throwing her hands back, breaking a fissure just off the bank of the beach causing a massive dip and swell in the water creating a tsunami with her rage. Kya sent the water back into the ocean before it could flood the beach then sat down again. "Mine left before I was even born and YOU complain about neglect?" Lin shot at Bumi.

"At leas you have a guide? Who can teach me how to be a non-bender?!"

"Oh I don't know, Uncle Sokka?"

"Maybe but he spends all of his time at YOUR house coddling Toph and Suyin!" Bumi yelled.

"Why don't we all just calm down," Izumi said slowly and softly.

'You wouldn't know hardship, would you, Princess? You have two perfect parents who adore you and give you everything you want."

"Well, I do have two parents who adore me and give me everything I want, as long as I sit still... and don't speak unless spoken to... As long as I listen to everything my tutors and teachers have to say... as long as I never protest anything." Izumi laid down on the piece of driftwood beneath her and placed her hands behind her head and looked up at the stars. "I am allowed to think freely as long as I never speak what is on my mind... As long as I am the one to apologize and show remorse for the actions of the grandfather, great grandfather, and great great grandfathers's actions for which I have no responsibility... As long as I put on a convincing show for the cameras and reporters, I can have whatever I want."

"You can speak your mind with us," Bumi said.

"What do you want me to say?" Izumi asked jumping up. "Do you want me to rant about how difficult my childhood was? IS? Well, it wasn't! It is easy to be a Princess, a machine built by the state with a schedule ready for you at the beginning of every day!" Izumi laughed. "It is easy to have NO CHOICE! NO FREEDOM! To go nowhere without an army of guards to catch you if you sneeze or trip on a crack in the pavement, to have no privacy! It is easy to be NOBODY!" Izumi yelled as the flames rose above them all in a display of blue, green, fuchsia, and crimson. "You don't think I envy your freedom? Every time I come to Republic City, we get to spend evenings together. I get to hear of Kya's escapades to the lesbian bars, Bumi's trips to the red-light district, Tenzin's day shadowing the Air Nation Councilman before ditching his little truant of a girlfriend for a lunchtime flight around the city. Suyin making noodle art and beating up kids on the playground of primary school while I am stuck sitting beside my father all day with my mouth shut, and hands folded nicely in my mouth unable to say ANYTHING while he tries to restore the honor of the Fire Nation."

They sat in silence for a few dreadfully quiet minutes. Lin was on her hands and knees in the sand, Kya on one log towards the island, Izumi on another log closer to the beach house, Bumi on a rock beside Kya's log, and Tenzin on one log of his own with a space beside him where he had taken his cloak off and laid it over the wood, waiting for Lin. Everyone looked down, thinking.

Izumi was the first to speak. She was intelligent, well read, mature. Her parents spared nothing with her. She was their only child and gave her everything, all the attention they never received in their own youth. "We could not choose into which family we were born. We can only make the best of our circumstances, and carry on. Life isn't fair, but everyone struggles, every one has to make compromises and sacrifices. Everyone fights battles daily. Don't presume anything about a friend or even a sibling. It only hurts so much because so much of our lives, choices, and mistakes are printed in the newspapers of all four nations. But at least we have each other now."

Lin looked up at Tenzin. He walked over to her without a word and scooped her into his arms and carried her over to his log and sat her on his cloak and draped an arm over her.

"You're right, Zumzu," Lin said quietly. "At least we have each other."

"What Lo and Li said came true! I feel all smooth, almost lighter!" Kya said hugging herself. "I'll always remember this!"

"You know what would make this even more memorable?" Izumi asked with a smirk.

"We're not going to crash a party!" Tenzin yelled.

"You're not Azula!"

"We're not going to crash it! I was going to suggest sparring. Bumi, go get your space sword from the house. Lin, come on my team." Izumi said standing up and smoothing out her skirt.

Lin glanced to Tenzin who nodded in agreement and said, "I believe that can be arranged." the entire island shook that night, but most of it's dwellers thought it just might be the volcano acting up, so no one even opened their eyes when the tremors intensified.

Lin tossed up the sands and hollowed out the cliffs and created fissures beneath the breaking waves, keeping Kya busy with preventing a tsunami while Izumi and Bumi attacked Tenzin relentlessly. Their violent sparring match didn't end until early morning, trudging back to the beach house with minor burns. scrapes, cuts, bruises, and overcome with fatigue.

No matter what Suyin did, she couldn't wake them.

"Let them rest, Suyin," Lo said to the young girl.

"We could go practice your sandbending."

"Or see a play"

"Or just go to the beach."

"Or go see a dance performance on stage..."

Suyin gasped. "DANCE PLEASE!" she squealed jumping up and down.

"Too the opera house!" Lo and Li exclaimed clapping their hands together and pointing in the general direction of the theatre before leading Suyin from the house for the matinee performance.

* * *

 **My third oneshot. I hope you liked it!**

 **I once saw a tumblr post on justfirelordizumithings of three screen caps:**

 **Tenzin grumpily sitting between Kya and Bumi who were both laughing at him**

 **Lin grumpily eating instant noodles with her mother and Opal and Bolin,**

 **text that said, " All these other Gaang kids have all these mommy/daddy/sibling issues driving plots in the show... and you're here like..."**

 **And the last screen cap of Izumi sitting calmly next to her father at Wu's disastrous coronation.**

 **And I thought well Izumi just seems too perfect, kind of like Azula, so I decided to give her some hardship and thought a bit of the Barbie version of the Princess and the Pauper about how the Princess has no choice or freedom and feels trapped an like her life is dictated for her.**

 **Anywaaaays... Have a great day!**


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